Leather brace



E. 5. MIX

LEATHER BRACE Sept. 4, 1934.

Filed July 25 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. Edwin 5. Mix,

ATTORNEY E. 5. MIX

LEATHER BRAGE Sept. 4, 1934.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 25, 1955 INV ENTOR. Esq Wan 6'. Max,

I B A TTORNEY Q I l I l I O I I I v c 0 l a u I l l l l l I I l 1 l Patented Sept. 4, 1934 PATENT OFFICE 1.972.533 V LEATHER BRACE Edwin S. Mix, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Hickok Manufacturing Company, Inc., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 25, 1933, Serial No. 682,151

3 Claims. (01. 241-27) The invention relates to leather braces.

The object of. the present invention is to improve the construction of leather braces, more particularly the construction of the suspender ends, and to provide simple, strong and comparatively inexpensive leather braces which will present a highly ornamental and attractive appearance both inthe body portions or shoulder straps and in the suspender ends at both the front and back of the leather braces.

Another object of the invention is to provide a metallic link for connecting the suspender ends to the body portions or shoulder straps adapted to enable the suspender ends to be constructed of a single piece of leather and to be folded along lines which will present a highly ornamental and attractive appearance, and at the same time obviate the necessity of employing stitching or equivalent fastening means for attaching the suspender ends.

With these and other objects in view,- the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompae nying drawings and pointed out inthe claims hereto appended, it being understood that va rious changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings: a

Figure 1 is an elevation of a pair of leather braces constructed in accordance with this invention. a i

Fig. 2 isa rear elevation of the front portion of one of the shoulder straps or body portions.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the front portion of one of the shoulder'straps of the leather braces. r a

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view: on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the metal connecting linksfor the suspender ends showing the shirt hold-down attachment connected to it- Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the connecting plate illustrating in dotted lines the manner in which the suspender ends are looped into the connecting plate.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates a pair of leather braces or suspenders comprising body portions or shoulder straps 2 of leather, an elastic back strap 3 and front and rear suspender ends 4 and 5. Each body portion or shoulder strap comprises a relatively thin main strip 6 of leather folded longitudinally at its side portions at opposite sides of the center to form side flaps '7 which terminate at opposite sides of the center of the main strip 6 to provide an intervening space. Each marginal flap 7 is folded over a pair of spaced cords 8 which bulge the marginal flaps and cause the same to' form exterior ornamental beads 9 located at the marginal portions of the shoulder straps or body portions of the leather braces. The marginal flaps are secured upon the front face of the main body strip by inner andjouter linesof stitching 10 and 11 which securely hold the side flaps and the cords, which form bead cores; in place. The inner lines 10 of stitching also secure to the main body strip a centrally arranged panel strip 12 of leather, preferably constructed of thicker material than the material of the main body strip. The panel strip forms a raised central portion and the main body strip provides depressed marginal portions. The strips lend themselves to the use of leathers of different colorsor shades andwhile the strips. may be of any contrasting shades, in practice, it will be found advantageous to employ a lighter shade of leather for the panel strip and adarker shade for the main strip. The strips may be of various shades and colors and enable the body portions of the suspenders to present a highly ornamental and attractive appearance.

The body portions2 are provided at their rear ends with leather tabs 13 whichare folded around the ends of the body portions to form eyes or loops 14 which receive the curved portion of a D-ring 15. The straight portion of then-ring v15 passes through an eye or loop 16 of a leather tab 1'7 secured to the upper end of the elastic back strap and folded around the upper end to form the said loop 16. 7

The front ends of the body portions 2 are looped by folding the ends of the body portions rearwardly and extending the same upwardly, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and the terminals of the looped ends are provided with buckles 18 having tongues 19 for engaging openings 20 in the front portions of the shoulder straps tovary the length of'these leather braces to suit the wearer. The terminals of the looped ends 21 are provided with leather tabs 22 which are folded around the rloopedends to form an eye or loop to receive the buckles. The buckle 18 which is an ordinary tongue buckle, has an ordinary buckle frame and tongue, and the major portion of the buckleframe is arranged exteriorly of thebodyportion 2.

The front and rear suspender ends 4 and 5 are of the same construction and-each suspender end consists of a single piece of leather and the front suspender ends are connected to the looped ends of the body portions 2 by a metal link 23 consisting of a plate cut, stamped or otherwise formed from sheet metal or other suitable material.

The connecting link which has a reduced approximately U-shaped lower portion 24 consists of a top transverse bar 25 provided with inturned approximatedy U-shaped terminals 26 which connect the top bar with the reduced lower portion of the link. The lower portion 24 of the link is provided with a downwardly tapered truncated substantially triangular opening 26 which forms downwardly tapered sides 27 and a straight bottom connecting portion 28. The lower reduced portion of the link has straight parallel outer. edges anda horizontal lower edge. The single narrow piece of leather constituting the suspender endhas its central portion extended across thelreduced lower portion 24 of the connectinglink-23 and the leather strip is then folded around theiside edges of the reduced portion and extended through the opening 26 The sid'e portions of the suspender endsformed'by the folding of the central portion of theleather strip and the passing of the sides through the opening 26 'enables the side portions to fit against the inclined downwardly converging inner side edges 29 of the sides of the said reduced portion 24. The particular construction of the lower'portion of the connecting link enables the leather strip to be ornamentally folded, and at the same time maintains the folded portion against any lateral swinging movement with relation to the link 23, and the arrangement of the strip on the inclined edges 29 causes the side portions of the suspender end to diverge downwardly. The terminal portions of the suspender end are provided with slots 30 to receive trouser buttons for enabling the leather braces to be connected to-the garment. The top bar 25 of theconnecting link of each front suspender end is linked into the looped end of the body portion 2 of the leather braces. r The top bar of the connecting link of the rear Suspender end 5 is linked'into an eye or loop 31 or a leather tab '32 folded around the lower end of the back strap and stitched or otherwisesecured to the same. The top bars 25 of the front connecting links 23 alsoserve as the means for connecting shirt hold-down attachments 33 to thefront portions of theleather braces' Thehold-down attach- ;rnents each consists of a'narro'wstrip'of elastic material provided atone end with a clip 34 for engaging the bosom of a shirt at one side thereof. The otherend'of the elastic strip is provided with a metal sleeve 35 embracingand clamping the elastic'st'rip and provided at the outer or lower end with'an extension 36 which is bent to form a cylindrical eye'37. The cylindrical eye 3'7 is arranged on the top bar of the connecting link. The attached ends of the shirt'hold-down attachment are'concealedwithin the looped ends of the body portions 2 of the leather braces and the members of the shirt hold-down attachment are arranged to extend upwardly and inwardly at an angle to each other to exert on the shirt bosom a downward and outward pull at each 'side of the shirt, whereby the shirt bosomis held in a smooth fiat'condition. The looped front ends of the body portions'of the braces are main- 'tained together and prevented from opening or spreading by transverse sleeves 38, each constructed of a single piece of leather extending across the front of the body portion and around the side edges of the same and. the looped ends and connected by a metal plate 39 having its side edges bent inwardly around the adjacent side edges of the terminal portions of the material of the sleeve 38 and clinched at the inner face of the-same. The sleeve 38 is preferably constructed front ends, metal connecting links linked into the-looped front ends of the body portions of the braces and each link consisting of a transverse top bar-end aureduced lower approximately 'U- shaped portion having 1a downwardly tapered opening and-connected at its sides to the top bar, and Suspender ends each consisting of a single strip of material having its 'central'portion extending across the reduced portion of the connecting. link, said strip being folded inwardly and rearwardly: around the side edges of the said reduced portion of the link and passed through the tapered opening and fitted gainst the converging side walls thereof and diverging downwardly.

2. Braces having body portions looped at their front ends, metal connecting links'linked into the loopedfront ends of the body portions of the braces and each link consisting of a transverse top bar having approximately U-shaped inwardly' extending terminals, and a reduced substantially U-shaped lowerportion having a downwardly tapered opening between its sides, the

latter being connected to the U-shaped terminals 1 Hit) wardly and r'earwardly around the side edges o! f r' thesaid' reduced portion of the link and passed through the tapered opening and fitted against the converging side walls thereof and diverging downwardly.

'3. Braces having body portions looped at their front ends, metal connecting links linked into the looped front ends of the body portions of the braces and each link consisting of a transverse top bar having inwardly extending approximately U-shaped portions and a reduced approxiniately U-shaped lower portion having a downwardlytapered opening'forming tapering sides and a straight connecting bottom portion, the sides of the lower-portion of the plate being connected to the U-shaped terminals of the top bar,

and Suspender ends each consisting of a single strip of material having its central portion extending across the reduced portion of theconnecting link, said strip being folded'inwardly and rearwardly' around the side edges of the said rer 

